Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steel produced in Britain will be used for the HS2 project.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is estimated that HS2 will need approximately 2 million tonnes of steel over the next 10 years. The procurement for the main civil engineering works between Euston and Birmingham is now underway with procurements for the stations and rail systems expected to commence later this year and for rolling stock in early 2017. Subject to Royal Assent, the project will start construction in 2017. As with the rest of the materials for construction, steel is procured by the supply chain. We positively encourage bids from British companies and are already holding discussions with UK suppliers to make sure they are in the best possible position to win contracts for the steel that will be needed for track, concrete reinforcements, overhead wires and other structures. This Government has put rules in place for all its departments to ensure we can buy the right quality steel, produced under the right conditions - which will be of clear benefit to UK bidders.HS2 provides an excellent opportunity for businesses across the UK with 25,000 jobs created during construction and 3,000 when up and running.

Railways: Greater London

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for the Transport for London and Department for Transport partnership to take control of the suburban rail routes in London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are going to work with Transport for London (TfL), local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnership and others over the next few months to set up the Partnership announced on 21st January 2016 but the timetable for the formation of the partnership has yet to be agreed. Depending on responses to the Prospectus and being able to agree satisfactory terms, transfers of the suburban services could take place when franchises end (the dates are as per the prospectus). We are exploring with TfL whether a separate business unit can be created for South West Trains.

Home Office

Refugees: Yazidis

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why none of the Yazidi women who have escaped following enslavement by ISIS have been given refuge in the UK.

Lord Bates: We recognise the plight faced by vulnerable women and girls in the region, and particularly Yazidi women who have escaped following enslavement by ISIS. That is why we have funded the establishment of three community centres in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which provide them with psychosocial and legal support, and the provision of two UN technical experts who will continue to improve the coordination of the humanitarian response to gender based violence in Iraq. Through the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, we are also providing life-saving maternal and child health-care, child protection services, and specialised support for escapees of Daesh terror.We plan to continue to resettle Iraqi refugees currently in Syria under the Gateway programme and will consider any Yazidi cases that are referred by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as part of that caseload. We are also prioritising the most vulnerable refugees through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement, under which UNHCR is mandated to identify and refer cases for potential resettlement using its established vulnerability criteria, which include women and girls at risk.

Immigration: Proceeds of Crime

Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter by Lord Bates to Lord Rosser on 8 January (DEP2016–0028) and the remarks by Lords Bates on 18 January (HL Deb, col 624), which immigration offences led, following conviction, to the forfeiture of assets totalling £966,024 in 2014–15; and how much was forfeited in total for each offence.

Lord Bates: There were 16 confiscation orders amounting to £966,024, these are broken down to the following offences. OffenceAmountForgery and Counterfeiting£162,997.55Facilitation investigation£10,665.95Sham Marriage - assisting unlawful immigration£85,519.29Fraud and Money Laundering£2.00Conspiracy to Facilitate a Breach of Immigration Law£25,466.62Conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration£330,352.72Fraud by false representation£1,020.32Assisting Unlawful Immigration into the UK£350,000.00In the case of Money Laundering, the small total is because of nominal confiscation orders. A nominal confiscation order for a small amount (such as £1), may be imposed where the court finds that the defendant has benefitted from his criminal conduct, but has no realisable assets. If circumstances change then the order can be revisited.

Offences against Children

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have the power or ability to refer Operation Midland to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Lord Bates: The Home Office is unable to refer matters to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and cannot comment on individual cases which are a matter for individual forces.Schedule 3 to the Police Reform Act 2002 places a duty on the appropriate authority to refer a matter to the IPCC under certain prescribed circumstances. The appropriate authority would usually be the chief constable or, where the complaint or conduct matter relates to a chief officer, the local policing body for the force in question.The appropriate authority may also refer a complaint to the IPCC if it considers it appropriate to do so because of the gravity of the subject-matter or there are any exceptional circumstances involved. Where the appropriate authority is the chief constable and a case is not referred, the local policing body for the force may refer the matter to the Commission on the same grounds. The IPCC can, at any time, require the appropriate authority to refer a matter to it for consideration.As part of the measures to strengthen the powers of the IPCC in the forthcoming Policing and Crime Bill, the IPCC will in future have the power to investigate allegations of police misconduct, death or serious injury and complaints against the police without first awaiting or requiring a referral from a force.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the overall performance of the National Crime Agency during its first year of total operation in Northern Ireland.

Lord Bates: Since 20 May 2015, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has been operating with full powers in Northern Ireland. As the NCA recently reported to the Northern Ireland Policing Board on 16 December 2015, from 01 April 2015 up to 30 September 2015, the NCA has recorded 29 disruptions against organised crime groups and high priority threats operating in Northern Ireland. The scope of the NCA’s crime-fighting capability within the jurisdiction has expanded. The NCA has worked in partnership with the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the support that the NCA provides law enforcement partners, particularly the PSNI has been enhanced.The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 requires the Northern Ireland Policing Board to monitor the exercise of the functions of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland. The interim Memorandum of Understanding between the National Crime Agency and the Northern Ireland Policing Board states the Board is required, not later than six months after the end of each financial year, to issue a report relating to the policing of Northern Ireland for the next financial year. The report will include an assessment of the exercise of the functions of the NCA in Northern Ireland.The NCA is committed to playing its role in tackling serious and organised crime in Northern Ireland. Hence, the NCA will be fully engaged in delivering the commitment outlined in the ‘A Fresh Start: The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan’ to a concerted and enhanced effort to combat serious and organised and cross border crime.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will intervene in the case of Momand Qais, an interpreter for the UK armed forces in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2009, whose application for asylum has been rejected, together with his appeal against that decision.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not comment publicly on individual cases.

Prostitution: Prosecutions

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged under section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 by each police force in England and Wales in each year since 2012.

Lord Bates: This information is not held by the Home Office. The Home Office receives data from police forces in England and Wales which show offences recorded by the police that resulted in one or more people being charged or summonsed. It is not possible to determine either the number of people charged for each offence or what section of an act someone was charged under for each offence or what specific section of an act somebody was charged under for some offences.The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales.

Borders: Personal Records

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the category of visa held by a departing person is recorded when exit checks are undertaken at UK borders; and, if that data are collected, whether they will publish that data.

Lord Bates: The type of visa held by an individual is not gathered as part of the exit checks process at the point of departure. Exit checks data forms one part of the information that is held on an individual’s travel and can be compared to arrival and visa records.Home Office statisticians are considering the use of the data collected for statistical reporting purposes, and plan to publish an initial report on 26 May 2016.

Visas: Migrant Workers

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will respond to the Migration Advisory Committee's review of Tier 2 migration published on 19 January.

Lord Bates: The Government thanks the Migration Advisory Committee for its report. We are considering its findings carefully and will respond in due course.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Lord Bates: The Government fully understands the importance of tackling wildlife crime and the important contribution that the National Wildlife Crime Unit makes to this, both here in the UK and internationally. That is reflected in the fact that the Government is providing over £270,000 worth of specific funding to support the work of the Unit in 2015/16. As far as funding beyond March 2016 is concerned, a decision will be made in due course.

Territorial Waters: Surveillance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Maritime Intelligence Centre is providing a detailed surface picture of contacts approaching the Territorial Waters of the UK in order to enable the Border Force to intercept such vessels, and how many such interceptions there have been in the last six months.

Lord Bates: It is Home Office policy not to comment in detail on National Maritime Intelligence Centre (NMIC) capability or tasking, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security

Police

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made regarding Chief Constable David Shaw’s Use of Force Data Review.

Lord Bates: Further to the Noble Lord's previous question HL2559, the Home Secretary has received the conclusions of Chief Constable David Shaw's Use of Force Review and will report on its recommendations shortly.

Slavery

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to issue statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims, as set out in section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Lord Bates: Statutory guidance for identifying and supporting victims will be issued once the National Referral Mechanism pilots have concluded.The guidance is being developed in consultation with representatives from NGOs, Government and frontline agencies. This is in line with section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Refugee Camps: Dunkirk

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to lift the ban on aid entering the Grande-Synthe refugee camps.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to fulfil their agreement in the August 2015 Joint Ministerial Declaration (Managing Migratory Flows in Calais) properly to protect children in refugee camps in Calais.

Lord Bates: The management of the camp - both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order - is the responsibility of the French Government and operational needs may require for them to restrict access under certain circumstances. Aid is not restricted as a matter of course, and we work with the French to ensure those who need help are able to receive it.To help protect vulnerable people (including children and other potential victims of trafficking) the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to identify and direct vulnerable individuals to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed €750,000 (£530,000) to fund the project which formally launched in December 2015.

Asylum: Calais

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the measures that are in place to ensure that asylum seekers in refugee camps in Calais have access to the Family Reunification system.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have in place to ensure that asylum seekers in Calais have access to legal advice on their rights to enter the UK.

Lord Bates: All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France and provide information to the French asylum authorities about any family members in other Member States, including the UK. We will consider any request made to us by the French asylum authorities to take responsibility for an asylum applicant in France because they have close family who are legally in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation concerning the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child.If not claiming asylum, individual migrants in France, as in any other country, are entitled to apply under the Family Reunion provisions to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate visa application.Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has increased the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials, French authorities and NGOs speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK, and their rights to claim asylum in France. The UK is also helping to fund dedicated facilities away from Calais to allow migrants to reflect on next steps and to consider an asylum claim.

Asylum: Finance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long asylum seekers have to wait before they receive financial support upon arrival in the UK.

Lord Bates: Upon claiming asylum if an applicant presents as destitute they are entitled to access support services whilst a formal application for financial support is considered.Destitute asylum seekers are usually accommodated in an Initial Accommodation facility, which is typically delivered as hostel style, full board accommodation.The length of time someone will stay in an Initial Accommodation centre will vary from person to person according to their particular circumstances.However, the Home Office aims to process their application for financial support and move straightforward cases to longer term dispersal accommodation in participating dispersal towns and cities within 19 days.

Police: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 January (HL4964) on police facial recognition technology, whether the outcome of their review of that report will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny.

Lord Bates: Copies of the Custody Image Review will be provided to The Science and Technology Committee and made available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 26 January (HL5218), what guidance they have issued to local Chief Executives in their role as Monitoring Officer in the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) about their responsibility to make arrangements for the archiving of public papers following the end of the PCC's term of office in May; and if none, whether they intend to issue such guidance.

Lord Bates: Further to my Written Answer on 26 January (HL5218), Chief Executives of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) offices hold the responsibility, as Monitoring Officers, for the archiving of public papers following the end of their PCC’s term of office in May 2016.As such, and as with other local bodies, such as local authorities and elected mayors, it is not the role of national Government to determine how this should be done.In respect of PCCs, the Association of Policing & Crime Chief Executives (APACE) will support Chief Executives in fulfilling their responsibilities. The Government, therefore, does not intend to issue guidance on this matter.

Road Traffic Offences

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any correlation between the non-enforcement of low-level road user penalties and the rate of serious offences.

Lord Bates: No assessment has been made of any correlation between the non-enforcement of low-level road user penalties and the rate of serious offences. It is an operational matter for the police to decide how they enforce road traffic legislation and what action may be appropriate in any particular case.

Leader of the House of Lords

House of Lords: Parliamentary Procedure

Lord Naseby: To ask the Leader of the House whether she will set up a working party to consider the combining of the contents of the Companion to the Standing Orders with those parts of Erskine May that refer to the House of Lords in order to produce a single reference volume reflecting the law, privilege, proceedings and usage of Parliament as applicable to the House.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Companion to the Standing Orders is the single authoritative statement of practice and procedure of the House, issued with the authority of the Procedure Committee.Erskine May is edited by the Clerk of the House of Commons. It contains some additional information about the history and privileges of Parliament, including the House of Lords, and Lords Clerks contribute to its production, but for the House of Lords the resulting text does not have the authoritative status that it does in the House of Commons. For this reason, and in order to keep the Companion a manageable length, I do not propose to pursue amalgamation of the texts into a single volume.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase funding for human rights projects in North Korea, and what was the total UK funding for such work between 30 September 2013 and 8 October 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We will be assessing future human rights projects for the next year under the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, considering carefully the practicalities of delivering human rights projects in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the need to calibrate our approach in light of the recent nuclear test.We use our bilateral programme to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in DPRK society with a wide range of humanitarian projects. This includes improving food and nutrition for people in rural areas, funding equipment for the disabled, and support for children affected by the recent floods in Rason. The total value of spending under our bilateral programme budget between 30 September 2013 and 8 October 2015 was £510,029.

North Korea: Telecommunications

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for providing unmonitored mobile and internet communications to the people of North Korea as a contribution to breaking that country’s information blockade.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The provision of mobile and electronic communications are strictly controlled by the North Korean government. Supplying the population with mobile and internet equipment would require the consent and cooperation of the regime. Establishing an alternative system without the agreement of the North Korea government could be viewed as a violation of local laws; all our Missions overseas must abide by the law of their host countries and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We regularly raise human rights concerns and freedom of expression.

Kamal Foroughi

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 30 December 2015 (HL4621), whether they consider the four prisoners, including Jason Rezaian, recently released by Iran to the US each had dual citizenship, and whether they will use those cases as precedents in their approach to the case of Kamal Foroughi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the release of US prisoners held in Iran. The agreement between the US and Iran was a bilateral one, and has not changed Iran’s policy of not recognising dual nationality. We continue to raise our own consular cases, including Mr Foroughi, with the Iranians at the highest levels and to urge for their release.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the evidence available regarding human rights violations committed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen. The UK supported the September UN Human Rights Council resolution which contains mechanisms for monitoring the human rights situation in Yemen. We continue to raise the importance of respect for human rights with all sides of the conflict. We used a wide range of evidence including credible non-governmental organisations, UN agencies and other sources of information to inform our assessment.

Syria: UN Agencies

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the action they and their allies can take to enable the UN agencies in Syria to carry out their mandates fully and freely.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has played, and will continue to play, a leading role in ensuring that UN agencies are able to carry out their mandates in Syria. Through our membership of the UN Security Council and as part of the International Syria Support Group we helped generate a mandate for the UN Special Envoy for Syria to launch intra-Syrian peace negotiations this month. We have also co-sponsored a series of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) on humanitarian issues, including most recently UNSCR 2258 on cross-border humanitarian access. These resolutions provide a mandate for the delivery of aid into Syria. We are deeply concerned about the restrictions placed on UN agencies to deliver these mandates, particularly the obstructionism and lack of response from the Syrian Regime to repeated requests from the UN for humanitarian access to towns and regions across Syria. We regularly raise these issues in the UN Security Council.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the students from Birzeit university who are currently in prison; and what assessment they have made of the government of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian students.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue. We consistently urge Israel to ease movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, not least because of the impact the restrictions have on children and their education. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv also regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli government officials about the imprisonment of Palestinians outside the West Bank, in direct contravention of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the remarks by Sheikh Abu Taqi Al-Din Al-Dari delivered at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and posted online on 16 January, that "the basic principle is that the Islamic state should work to conquer the world through Jihad for the sake of Allah" and that "it must conquer Rome, Washington, and Paris"; and, in the light of the recent visit to the UK of the Grand Imam of Al-Aqsa, whether they are in discussion with him about the effect of incitements to violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have discussed this in detail with the Jordanian Waqf, including raising our concern over the language used. The remarks made are indeed deeply concerning. However, the person filmed (Sheikh Abu Taqi Al-Din Al-Dari) has no connection to the Palestinian Authority, or the Jordanian Waqf. Although the video footage does appear to show him speaking inside the al Aqsa mosque, he was not preaching from the minbar, nor is he authorised to do so by the Waqf. We regularly raise incitement with the Palestinian Authority, and have urged key figures to encourage calm and condemn violence. Our Consul-General raised the issue of incitement most recently with the Palestinian Minister of Health on 21 January, and Fatah Central Committee member Jibril Rjoub on 26 January. We welcome President Abbas’ recent restated commitment to reviving the Tripartite Committee on Incitement, as the best channel to address allegations of Israeli and Palestinian incitement.

Attorney General

Police Interrogation

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the implications of the police indicating to a person being interviewed under caution that no further action will be taken due to insufficient, or a lack of, evidence.

Lord Keen of Elie: The implications in such circumstances are detailed in a written answer on 31 March 1993 by the then Attorney General (Sir Nicholas Lyell), as outlined below.The fundamental consideration remains that individuals should be able to rely on decisions taken by the prosecuting authorities. The policy of the Director of Public Prosecutions is that a decision to terminate proceedings or not to prosecute should not, in the absence of special circumstances, be altered once it has been communicated to the defendant or prospective defendant unless it was taken and expressed to be taken because the evidence was insufficient. In such a case it would be appropriate to reconsider the decision if further significant evidence were to become available at a later date especially if the alleged offence is a serious one.Special circumstances which might justify departure from this policy include: (1) rare cases where reconsiderations of the original decision show that it was not justified and the maintenance of confidence in the criminal justice system requires that a prosecution be brought notwithstanding the earlier decision; and (2) those cases where termination has been effected specifically with a view to the collection and preparation of the necessary evidence which is thought likely to become available in the fairly near future. In such circumstances the CPS will advise the defendant of the possibility that proceedings will be re-instituted. (Official Report, Col’s 200-201).Following this written answer and further written ministerial statements, the Crown Prosecution Service has produced guidance for prosecutors to follow concerning the exercise of the CPS discretion to institute, reinstitute or continue proceedings after a suspect has been informed by the police or CPS of a decision not to prosecute. The above mentioned Written Statements are detailed below and are published in the Official Report.WMS – Crown Prosecutors Code - 22 February 2010. Column WS64, Baroness Scotland of Asthal. WMS - Reconsidering a Prosecution Decision (CPS Guidance) - 31 October 2012, Col 15WS, Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve WMS – Victim’s Right to Review - 5 June 2013, Col 99WS, Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Nurses: Training

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the planned replacement of student bursaries by loans, how many grants for higher cost students will be made to universities in respect of degree courses in nursing in 2017–18.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: Institutional autonomy and academic freedom are key strengths of our higher education system. To protect these, the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 prohibits Ministers from being involved in decisions about funding for individual institutions or particular courses. Details on teaching grant funding will be set out in the normal way in the annual grant letter from ministers to The Higher Education Funding Council. As part of the changes announced at the Spending Review, we will lift the cap on the number of students that can get on to nursing courses and provide nursing students with access to around 25% more financial support. We expect this reform to enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing, midwifery and allied health training places over this parliament.

Timber: Smuggling

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sanctions the National Measurement Office can take against companies that trade in illegally imported timber.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2013 provide for the use of a Notice placing obligations on companies to comply with requirements, breach of which is a criminal offence. Regulation 13 provides graduated penalties for offences: on summary conviction, a fine of £5000 and/or 3 months imprisonment; and on indictment, an unlimited fine and/or 2 years imprisonment.

Horticulture: Training

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many horticulture training places on further education courses were available in each of the last five academic years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Further education is demand led. Training providers have the flexibility to offer courses that respond to local skills needs. However, Table 1 shows the number of further education enrolments in the Horticulture and Forestry Tier 2 Sector Subject Area (SSA) over the past five academic years.Table 1: All Age Further Education Enrolments in the Horticulture and Forestry Sector Subject Area, 2010/11 to 2014/15Academic YearEnrolments2010/1136,2002011/1237,2002012/1345,4002013/1446,3002014/1541,600Notes1. These figures are a count of all enrolments that have occurred at any point in the year. Where a learner enrols on multiple aims (courses), these will be counted separately, even those with the same aim title.   Further education is demand led. Training providers have the flexibility to offer courses that respond to local skills needs. However, Table 1 shows the number of further education enrolments in the Horticulture and Forestry Tier 2 Sector Subject Area (SSA) over the past five academic years.Table 1: All Age Further Education Enrolments in the Horticulture and Forestry Sector Subject Area, 2010/11 to 2014/15Academic YearEnrolments2010/1136,2002011/1237,2002012/1345,4002013/1446,3002014/1541,600Notes1. These figures are a count of all enrolments that have occurred at any point in the year. Where a learner enrols on multiple aims (courses), these will be counted separately, even those with the same aim title.

Department for International Development

Syria: Refugees

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the Department for International Development is taking to use its influence with countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region to allow NGOs to provide non-formal education opportunities for out-of-school children.

Baroness Verma: At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4th February , we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education, formal school or non-formal, by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.

Syria: Refugees

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to persuade countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region to allow NGOs to provide non-formal education opportunities.

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that financial investment pledged at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference is backed by political will, and policy changes on the ground, to ensure equal access to quality education.

Baroness Verma: At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4th February, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.

Department for Education

Home Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the legal responsibilities of those parents who choose to teach their children at home.

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what responsibilities local authorities have to ensure that home tuition is carried out within legal requirements.

Lord Nash: Parents of a child of compulsory school age must comply with the duty in section 7 of the Education Act 1996 to cause the child to receive efficient full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs the child may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. They can meet this duty by electing to educate at home, which is referred to in the Act as education ‘otherwise than at school’. Local authorities do not have a general responsibility to monitor the education provided by parents, for the purposes of ensuring that parents are meeting their responsibilities. An authority has a duty under s.436A of the Education Act 1996 to make arrangements to establish the identities of children who are not receiving a suitable education. However, the fact that a child is educated at home does not necessarily mean that the child is not receiving a suitable education. Should it appear that the child is not receiving suitable education, the local authority has a duty under s.437(1) of the Education Act 1996 to serve a notice requiring the parent to satisfy the authority that the child is indeed receiving a suitable education. If the parent is unable to satisfy the authority, and the authority considers it expedient for the child to attend school, then the local authority must issue a school attendance order. These matters are set out in guidance issued by the Department for Education to local authorities.

Academies: Sponsorship

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many academy sponsors are waiting for approval.

Lord Nash: As of 29 January 2016, there are currently 66 sponsor applications being assessed by the Department.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Outdoor Recreation

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the role of (1) the Department for Culture, Media And Sport, (2) the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (3) the Department of Health, (4) the Department for Education, and (5) the Department for Communities and Local Government, in the promotion of non-competitive outdoor activities; the provision of, and access to, outdoor green spaces, and the development of healthier life styles by involvement in such activities and the use of such spaces; what priority they give to the promotion of such activities; and which is the lead department in this area.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Government recognises the importance of cross-government cooperation in considering policies which impact on the provision, access and promotion of outside spaces. There is not one single government department, which that leads on the promotion of healthier lifestyles through non-competitive outdoor recreation activities. Instead, Government departments jointly recognise the value of outdoor recreation to health, environment and education. Outdoor recreation is referenced in the Government’s new sport and physical activity strategy, which was published on 17th December 2015. Government will submit a formal annual report to Parliament, which sets out progress in implementing this strategy later this year. Individual government department’s involvement in outdoor activities is outlined below:Department for Culture, Media and SportThe importance of outdoor recreation is reflected in our new sport and physical activity strategy, published in December 2015. Sport England is currently working with the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) on the ‘Getting Active Outdoors’ insight report - the largest ever of its kind - to get the nation active - particularly children, pensioners and women. In the meantime, Sport England is investing over £68 million in outdoor recreation sports, including £3 million invested in the Britain on Foot campaign, to get more people hillwalking, trail running and mountaineering. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs holds policy responsibility for the legal and land-use aspects of access to the countryside (in forests, protected landscapes, on public rights of way, commons, town and village greens, open access spaces and on waterways). The Department of HealthThe Department of Health acknowledges the health benefits of being in a natural environment are significant and that it is important that children have opportunities to play in clean, secure outdoor environments. The department recognises the importance of outdoor activities and they have included an indicator on use of green space for exercise and health purposes in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. The health promotes outdoor physical activity through a variety of channels, which includes: Change4Life Sports Clubs - a programme providing indoor and outdoor non-competitive physical activity to the least active children; the 10 Minute Shake Up campaign - Change4Life teamed up with Disney to inspire children to get active with over the summers of 2014 and 2015; providing funding of over 1million to Play England for a three year project ‘Street Play’ to promote outdoor play activities; and National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE) guidance to promoting outdoor physical activity. The Department for EducationThe Department for Education are is determined that all children lead healthy active lives. Physical Education is compulsory at all four key stages in the national curriculum for maintained schools. The programmes of study at key stages 2, 3 and 4 sets out the expectation that pupils should take part in outdoor adventurous activities. At key stage 4 these activities should take place in a range of environments and present intellectual and physical challenges. Independent research on the primary PE and sport premium demonstrates that some schools are using their funding to provide enhanced opportunities for their pupils in this area – including rock-climbing, surfing and sailing. The Department does not specifically promote non-competitive outdoor activities as teachers have the freedom to organise and deliver the curriculum to ensure it is challenging and effectively meets programme of study.The Department for Communities and Local GovernmentThe Department for Communities and Local Government role in outdoor recreation is community focussed. It recognises that Parks, sports grounds and other green spaces, which are shared by lots of people, holds great benefits to the health and wellbeing of local communities. We want local communities to be empowered to play a significant role in maintaining and protecting green spaces of most importance to them. The Department owns the Green Flag Award scheme, a recognised accreditation setting the national standard for parks and green spaces across the UK, which is currently run under licence by Keep Britain Tidy. The scheme awards well-managed green spaces run by the local authority and has a separate category for community managed green spaces. The Department is currently running a Pocket Parks programme to establish up to 100 pocket parks – small areas of inviting public space where people can enjoy relief from city streets. It is expected that an announcement of the successful projects will be made in February. Through the Community Right to Bid, communities are listing the parks and green spaces that are important to them. Hundreds have been listed including allotments and playing fields.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Systems

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on the 20 January (HL4935), (1) what is the timeline for the development of the written policy for future capability requirements, development, integration and use of unmanned systems, (2) what form of consultation is proposed, and (3) whether the written policy proposed will include a position statement on the use of drones by the Her Majesty's Government (a) in domestic airspace, and (b) for collective and individual self-defence abroad.

Earl Howe: Defence policy on use of remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) is currently being drafted. This work is still in an early stage and is currently scoping the policy with the aim of producing a substantive document towards the end of the year. It is our intention to consult widely during its production, both across Government and with our international allies.This work will be supported and underpinned by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre's (DCDC) revision and update of Joint Doctrine Note 2/11 "The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems" and through its work on the Future Air and Space Operating Concept; both of which are currently being written and will be available before the end of 2016. The DCDC will then commence work on the next edition of Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30 "UK Air and Space Doctrine" which it expects to publish in first quarter 2017.

Reserve Forces: Discharges

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of reservists leaving the (1) army, (2) Royal Navy, and (3) Royal Air Force, in 2015.

Earl Howe: Overall outflow figures for the Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) Volunteer Reserve in 2015 have fallen compared with previous years, with this fall driven primarily by the Army Reserve. This reflects the impact of a number of initiatives we have taken to improve the Reserves experience, such as better equipment and training, improved reward, and wider opportunities to serve alongside the Regulars as well as improving our relationships with employers. Increases in outflow from the Maritime and RAF Reserves should be understood within the context of significant increases to their strengths over the period. As a proportion of their respective trained-strengths, outflow figures for the Maritime and RAF Reserves have been steady, and are sustainable and consistent with the FR20 programme and related targets. This is evidenced by the fact that the Maritime and RAF Reserves are currently above their April 2016 trained strength targets. The attached tables provide detailed information on FR20 outflow and trained strength since 2013.



HL5440 - Future Reserves 2020 Outflow
(Word Document, 19.33 KB)




HL5440 - Reserve Trained Strength
(Word Document, 15.95 KB)

Reserve Forces

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the retention of reservists in the Armed Forces.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Reserves, in the House of Commons on 14 January 2016 to Question 21901.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-01-11/21901/



Reserve Forces
(Word Document, 15.56 KB)

Reserve Forces: Length of Service

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the average time that reservists are members of the Armed Forces.

Earl Howe: Data prior to April 2012 for the Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) Volunteer Reserve is unavailable. It is, therefore, not possible to estimate the average length of service for the FR20 Volunteer Reserve population. As an alternative, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 26 January 2016 to Question HL5059 to the noble Lord The Lord Empey, which sets out details of FR20 Volunteer Reserve strength retention.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-01-14/HL5059/  



Reserve Forces Labour Turnover
(Word Document, 17.22 KB)

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to operate from the UK Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft belonging to (1) the US Navy, or (2) other allied nations, with British crews prior to the first UK P-8s entering service.

Earl Howe: Although a number of options are under consideration to deliver early capability, there are no current plans to operate US Navy P-8A, or those of other Allied nations, from the UK with British crews.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK service personnel embedded with allied nations maritime patrol capabilities under the Seedcorn Initiative are flying the Boeing P-8 Poseidon; and what are the relevant allied nations in each instance.

Earl Howe: There are currently 20 RAF personnel in the Seedcorn programme operating P-8A, three pilots and 17 mission crew. All are based in the United States.

Military Aircraft

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions in the last 12 months and from which airfields aircraft of the Quick Reaction Alert have been scrambled, and for what purpose on every occasion.

Earl Howe: Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby launched to intercept aircraft on 12 days in 2015.I am withholding further details as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Travellers

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last undertook an assessment of the long-term educational and welfare needs of Travellers and Gypsies in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Both the Department for Education and Ofsted have commissioned and published a number of studies over the past six years that focus on how to improve the education of Gypsy and Traveller children. These include:Improving the outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils: final report and literature review (Department for Education, October 2010, attached).https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-the-outcomes-for-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-pupils-final-report; as well as case studies of schools showing successful practice in improving the attendance and attainment of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma pupils. These are available (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/gypsy-roma-and-traveller-pupils-supporting-access-to-education and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ofsted-examples-of-good-practice-in-schools#gypsy-traveller-and-roma-children.The Department for Education regularly publishes and monitors data on the educational progress and achievement of pupils from Gypsy and Irish Traveller backgrounds attending schools in England. This data includes annual statistics on the attainment of pupils from these groups in the year 1 phonics screening check; teacher assessments at the end of key stage 1 and national assessments at the end of key stages 2 and 4; and on levels of pupil attendance at, and exclusion from, school. Inspection reports published by Ofsted include commentary where appropriate on the quality of school provision for Gypsy and Traveller pupils and their progress and attainment.The previous Government’s Ministerial Working Group on Gypsy and Traveller inequalities published a report in April 2012, which included 28 commitments from across Government to help reduce the inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers. The document can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-inequalities-for-gypsies-and-travellers-progress-reportThe 28 commitments have since been taken forward by the relevant Government departments and a table setting out progress against those commitments as at October 2014 was deposited in the House of Lords library. This is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2014-10-29/HL2504/



Good Practice 
(Word Document, 422.5 KB)




Travellers Pupils final report
(PDF Document, 2.09 MB)




Access to education
(PDF Document, 880.58 KB)

HM Treasury

Debts: Advisory Services

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a mandatory fee model whereby Financial Conduct Authority authorised debt management firms charge a set fee for debt management plans; and what assessment they have made of how to prevent debt management companies from making additional charges.

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the use of (1) monthly fee debt management plans; (2) percentage fee debt management plans; and (3) a combination of set fee and percentage debt management plans.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government has fundamentally reformed the regulation of the debt management market, transferring responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) more robust regime to better protect consumers. Any consideration of the state of the debt management market should properly await the outcome of the FCA’s authorisation assessment of commercial debt management firms, which is expected in the coming months. FCA rules make it clear that fees charged for debt management plans should not undermine the customer’s ability to make significant repayments to the customer’s lenders throughout the duration of the debt management plan.

Financial Services: North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any North Korean banks or businesses have direct or indirect access to the UK’s financial system, and whether any UK banks provide financial services to (1) North Korean individuals or entities, or (2) any third-party banks or entities that have engaged with North Korean individuals or entities engaged in sanctionable conduct.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: In 2006 the United Nations imposed restrictions on a range of goods from entering or leaving North Korea and imposed a travel ban and asset freeze against those persons designated as persons who engage in or provide support for North Korea’s nuclear-related, other weapons of mass destruction related and ballistic missile-related programmes. These restrictions were implemented in the EU in 2007, and have subsequently been expanded by the EU. The EU regulation prohibits financial institutions establishing new correspondent banking relationships with North Korean financial institutions if there are reasonable grounds to believe that this could contribute to North Korea’s nuclear-related, other weapons of mass destructions related or ballistic missile-related programmes. HM Treasury is responsible for implementing these financial sanctions in the UK. Failing to comply with financial sanctions is a criminal offence and HM Treasury works closely with law enforcement to ensure breaches of sanctions are dealt with appropriately.

Taxation

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HMRC are undertaking any other pilots on product authentication other than that with the tobacco industry's Codentify system; and whether they plan to pilot other systems.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HMRC is piloting the Codentify system, a product authentication tool that is currently used on tobacco packaging and could help tackle the illicit tobacco market. HMRC are not piloting any other product authentication systems and currently have no plans to do so.

Tobacco: Excise Duties

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the terms of reference are for the HMRC pilot of the tobacco industry's Codentify system for product authentication; how long that pilot will last; on what tobacco products that pilot is being undertaken; and with which tobacco companies that pilot is taking place.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HMRC is piloting the Codentify system, a product authentication tool that is currently used on tobacco packaging. The objectives of HMRC’s pilot are to use and test Codentify as a product authentication tool that could help tackle illicit tobacco. There is currently no specified end date to the pilot but HMRC will review its use of Codentify within 2016. Codentify is being used to authenticate cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco that carry the code, which are those produced by Phillip Morris International, Japan Tobacco International, Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco. No discussions have taken place with these companies on the scope or format of HMRC’s planned review.

Tobacco: Excise Duties

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what independent analysis of different systems for tobacco control and product authentication HMRC is proposing to undertake.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The EU Commission is currently considering how the track and trace system and security feature provisions of the EU Tobacco Products Directive will be implemented. Until this is decided HMRC have no plans for independent analysis of different systems for tobacco control and product authentication.

Tobacco: Excise Duties

Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is a conflict between HMRC piloting the tobacco industry's Codentify system and its legal action against tobacco companies for failing to control their supply chains.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HMRC is piloting the Codentify system as a product authentication tool that could help tackle the illicit tobacco market. This has no bearing on the obligations placed on tobacco companies to control their supply chains or on any action taken by HMRC to ensure compliance with these obligations.

Debts

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take forward the consultation on the legal framework for debt administration proposed by the 2015 Farnish Review of the Money Advice Service, and if so, when.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government is committed to exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders with a view to identifying possible options and have begun work on this review.

Gaming Machines

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much tax revenue they have collected directly from fixed-odds betting terminals in each of the years from 2010–11 to 2014–15 inclusive.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Total Machine Games Duty (MGD) receipts for the years ending 31 March 2015 and 2014 were £562 million and £502 million. Total Amusement Machine Licence Duty receipts for the years ending 31 March 2013, 2012 and 2011 were £151 million £219 million and £219 million. Receipts from fixed odds betting terminals are not separately identified in the figures published in HMRC’s Tax & Duty bulletin.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research from the University of East Angliaforecasting that the introduction of Individual Voter Registration will lead to a decline in levels of electoral registration.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government is aware of research by the University of East Anglia into Individual Electoral Registration (IER) that was submitted to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee in 2011. The electoral registers used for the 2015 General Election contained over 400,000 more entries than the last registers published prior to the introduction of IER. As such, suggestions that IER would lead to a decline in registration levels were proved incorrect.

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ascertain how many people shown as having voted on the marked register for the General Election on 7 May 2015 were on the electoral register at that time solely by virtue of the household based electoral registration system; whether they will make any such data available, broken down by (1) country, (2) constituency, and (3) local authority; how many of those voters were removed from the electoral registers on 1 December 2015; and what plans they have to help ensure that those voters are included on electoral registers based on Individual Electoral Registration.

Lord Bridges of Headley: While data is not available on the number of non-IER registered electors who voted at the 2015 General Election, the Electoral Commission found 96% of the entries on the electoral register in May 2015 were already registered under IER. The remaining non-IER registered electors will have been contacted as part of the annual canvass, and specifically targeted by Electoral Registration Officers, to encourage them to submit an application under IER ahead of the end of the transition to IER.

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to gather data from Electoral Registration Officers about levels of electoral registration as at 1 December 2015, and whether that process will differ from practice in previous years.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will have published their revised registers by 1 December 2015. As in previous years the Electoral Commission will use the data from these registers to inform their assessment of the state of the December 2015 registers, which they plan to publish in late February/early March. The Cabinet Office has worked with EROs, Electoral Management Software suppliers and the EC to gather data that will assist the assessment of the December 2015 registers.

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish data showing the number of entries on the electoral register as at 1 December 2015; and if so, whether they will break down that information by (1) country, (2) constituency and (3) local authority.

Lord Bridges of Headley: On 24th February the Office for National Statistics will publish total register entries at a local authority level for local government registers and at a constituency level for parliamentary registers. The Electoral Commission is planning to publish a report in late February/early March on the state of the December 2015 registers.

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the completeness of the electoral register as at 1 December 2015, broken down by (1) the UK in total, (2) country, (3) local authority and (4) constituency.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Electoral Commission is expected to publish their assessment of the completeness and accuracy of the first full electoral registers under IER this summer. This will provide a breakdown at a country level but not by local authority or constituency. The previous study of this nature was based on the last registers prior to the introduction IER, published in February/March 2014.

Department of Health

Abortion

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there has been an increase in the rate of abortions among women over the age of 24 since 2010, and if so, what assessment they have made of the cause.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We have made no such assessment. Rates of abortions for women aged 25 and over, England, 2010-2014 YearRate per thousand women201413.72201313.43201212.97201113.30201012.82  Source: Office for National Statistics

Health: Expenditure

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the actual expenditure on public health in (1) 1996–97, (2) 2000–01, (3) 2009–10, and (4) 2014–15; and what percentage of total expenditure on the NHS and public health those amounts represent.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Expenditure on public health in 2014-15 was £5,062 million. Public health expenditure in 2014-15 represents 4.5% of total Departmental health expenditure of £113,345 million. The Department is unable to provide figures on public health from earlier years as prior to 2013-14 primary care trusts were responsible for public health and budgets were determined locally.

Health

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what public health requirements were included in NHS England's mandate for 2014–15, and which of those were achieved.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England commissions certain public health services through the National Health Service Public Health (Section 7A) Functions Agreement including national programmes for immunisation and screening, health and justice and (prior to 1 October 2015) public health services for children aged 0-5. NHS England’s Mandate for 2014-15 included commitments to support improved public health through the promotion of early diagnosis of illness and using NHS staff contact with patients to help people stay in good health. The extent to which NHS England has met its commitments under the Section 7A Agreement and the Mandate for 2014-15 is set out in the relevant accountability statements, a copy of which is attached for each one.



Section 7A Agreement
(PDF Document, 634.25 KB)




NHS England Annual Report 2014-15
(PDF Document, 1.76 MB)